Information Resources in Toxicology - Essay Example

There are only two signal words namely “DANGER” and “WARNING.” “DANGER” identifies chemicals that present a greater and immediate hazard to the worker whereas “WARNING” a chemical that represents a lesser degree of hazard. There can be only one signal word on the label. For multiple hazards, only the more severe signal word will appear on the label (Sullivan, 2009).In the case of acute toxicity, oral chemicals that are lethal or toxic when ingested require the “DANGER” signal word appear on their label of the container.

On the other hand, those chemicals that are not harmful if ingested get the signal word “WARNING”. In addition, in the case of eye and skin irritation or corrosion, those chemicals that are classified as corrosive to the eye or skin are indicated “DANGER” on them. Whereas the same materials that only irritate the skin or the eye are marked “WARNING. “ (Ta, Mokhtar, Mohd Mokhtar, Ismail, & Abu Yazid, 2010)Hazard statements also correlate with signal words.

Standardized hazard statements, such as “Extremely Flammable Liquid” or “Fatal if swallowed” appear on labels that have the “DANGER” signal word. On the other hand, the labels bearing the “WARNING “ word tend to have less alarming hazard statements such as “combustible liquid” or “Harmful if Swallowed”. This reflects some of the many applications of the two words used as signal words (Dalvie, Rother, & London, 2014).